The Sarasaland Wonderment
by CombinedSyndicates
Summary: A Merchant Finds Himself in the clutches of Daisy's Castle. A mystical experience ensues...


_Someone waddled along the wide stretches of vast foliage, sun-scorched desert sands, ancient stone-face statues, and huge towering fortresses set atop soaring mountains reaching high into the clouds that were sewn over the entirety of Sarasaland ..._

_Sarasaland was a place like no other in the world of heroic plumbers. All sorts of creatures never seen or imagined before by the foreigners that leapt and loped about the densely varied types of terrain the Kingdom had to offer inhabited this land. From the lowly Goombos to the Koopas bound by an explosive shell, roaming in between animated boulders and rock sculptures, capped off by slithering emerald snakes, scuttling, slamming spiders and fire-breathing lions. Of course, these proved to be quite the challenge and impass to many a passerby and tourist visiting around here for their strange reasons..._

_**But, perhaps the traveller at hand was up to the test indeed? **_

_Hailing from places miles upon miles away, having the know-how and resilience to even reach Sarasaland was a testament in of itself. Not only that, to come to the doorstep of what might've been this Kingdom's crowning achievement, its captivating capital, Daisy's Castle._

_Richly famous for its far more regal and unique archictecture compared to the by-the-numbers Peach's Castle and dreary Bowser's Castle, Daisy's fine establishment was perchance the main attraction of her entire Kingdom from the exterior alone. The interior, however? Not many tourists treaded there. Even the ones who indeed surpassed the wildlife and did get to feast their eyes on the Palace's majesty usually went off to make camp or simply return home._

_The Bob-omb approaching this royal residence was not of the conventional, cowardly type, however. He was a merchant, a trade frought with gruesome travel, even more nefarious negotiation and only fueled by someone's drive for coinage, conversation, and challenge. A calling firmly married to such arduous journeys and jaunts like he had just undertaken, no stranger to the deep depths of Daisy's Castle, or any castle for that matter. Wherever there was exchange to be had, vendors and dealers such as himself flocked to. Especially for such an untapped market like the location at hand, ripe for exploitation..._

**"Ah, here she lays..."**

There he spoke, his white boots pressing upon the finely mowed and brushed up grass of the Palace yard, perched in between a fine hedge garden where several gardeners were hard at work and a wonderfully colorful and bright tennis court where the Kingdom's Princess mastered her legendary tennis skills. This scenery was all encased by the background of a sprawling desert canvas, where a vibrant sun lit up the sharp blue sky. It was pristine, magnificent, striking, something he'd never seen before. A perfect menagerie of color, subtlety, extravagance, wealth. It was a sight to behold undoubtedly...

The feel of the soil and greenery comforted his shoes, which had previously endured the toil of sprinting across miles of sand, rock, woodland and all other sort of harsh terrain. The smooth air gently caressing his body, himself taking a moment to just take in everything, to grasp his surroundings in a calm, free way. To be, in a way, 'in the zone...'

After he'd snapped out of this state and realized why he really came here in the first place, he strolled past the various lawn workers onto a light dirt path, sauntering forward and stopping at the glorious pattern-filled doors. The insignia of the enigmatic monarch inside was gracefulyl plastered at the entryway's center amid her classic yellow-orange colors, as he surely took yet another 30 seconds to laud the castle grandeur in his mind. Then, after this premature bout of wonderment, he led himself indoors...

**Voila.**

Indeed, there it laid. Daisy's Castle. A room fitted with an innately mystifying duo of bronze orange and golden yellow that was a potent magnification of the entrance's beauty, sprinkled over walls, floorsets, framework. It all stunningly meshed together to create an atmosphere of absolute luxury, royalty, glamor. Maybe even more spectacular were the illustrious paintings scattered over the walls, works from seemingly all over the Kingdom depicting rushing rivers, monumental mountains, draping deserts and stupdendous starscapes. These were accompanied by more specific but just as sublime masterpieces like a portrayal of the castle exterior, the aforementioned fortresses sleeping upon peaks and a meandering garden maze. All masterfully completed by, naturally, a protracted portrait of the place's namesake, befit with a defining smirk on her face, as if to signify her appreciation of this room's, no, canvas' allurement. Maybe for the ceiling's monstrous chandelier alone, set above a massive engraving of Daisy's emblem on the ground, which was so bright and ominous it could be near confused for the sun from the right perspective.

What about the other castle denizens, though? They were Toads, and their uniforms were almost as elegant as the interior itself; orange hats emblazoned with striking golden dots, skillfully-knit royal garb and a bronze cape laying beside their backs. And, yes, they would first see the Bob-omb bedazzled by the absolute bombardment of beauty he'd been just exposed to and was still embroiled in.

**"...Salutations!"**

One of the Toads came forth, and greeted him, smiling brightly. It took a few seconds for him to recuperate, but he did, and glared back to the Toad as if he'd just woken up. "Welcome to Daisy's illustrious Castle!" If you wish to speak with the princess, she's right there along the hall." The Toad would point to the wide opening leading into the throne room. "Mhm, nice and simple, huh..." he'd mutter to himself, before slowly ambling towards the aforesaid room, still gazing at the walls and celing...

And then, the throne room. Really, just a microcosm of the entrance. By some means, an amplification of the prior hall, with paintings more densely packed the pattern further eloquently dispersed, and instead of a chandelier, wrapped up by a large, imposing throne encrusted it what looked to be actual bronze and gold. Attracted to this glorified piece of furniture like a moth to flame, he waddled forth towards Daisy...

**"Hi there!"**

Greeted the spunky Princess herself, scrunching up a bit from her throne, smiling back with an admirable amount of pep and energy. She'd been staring at this stranger since he'd came in, glad to have a guest to banter with. "Hello, Princess Daisy! I've come here as a merchant, hailing faraway from back in the Mushroom Kingdom, wishing to do trade with you!" He'd try to emulate her enthusiasm, if a bit deterred by his bewilderment, also attempting to not address her too formally. "Ah, a trader? Well, I always love to see new faces come around 'ere! I don't see enough, really," her voice died down, slightly. "Mhm, I see that as a modern tragedy, not enough people come to merely witness your sheer gusto and warmth." He'd pull out a brown sack, and rummage through it. "Say, I never got your name, and while you're sifting through that, couldya tell me a bit of your story? I'm always up for those, especially one from someone that's never been here before: a Bob-omb." He looked up to her for a second, still appreciative of her energy. "Well, the name's Bombino, and really I'm just a rogue Bob-omb from the clutches of Bowser. Five years ago, I defected, came to town, and set up shop as a merchant. I've been travelling around the globe ever since, making friends, riches, and memories along the way. It's both a calm and hardy life, but one that I've been accustomed to." Daisy looked to herself, and thought for a moment. "Y'know, sometimes I just think I'm not fit enough for the whole 'princess' thing. Sometimes, I just want to be let free, be just some normal person, not have the burden of a Kingdom on me..." She'd sigh, still smiling. Bombino tried to reassure her. "Well, even Princesses can be let free, can have their own moments, right? Mhm, I don't know what the world would do if you weren't a princess..." She merely resumed. "...Maybe I'd like to be more like you. Maybe I'd like to have some sort of adventure sometime. More than an outing for go-karting or tennis, a real, solo experience." Bombino stopped rummaging, and stood up.

**"Don't we all? To aspire to have our own 'moment', huh? Mhm, sometimes it takes a long time to get it, I guess. It'll come though, I'm sure of it..."**

_What then ensued was a further exchange of pleasantries and chitchat as Bombino sold off some of his various wares like exotic mushrooms, sculptures and tools to Daisy for middling amounts of money. But, that didn't even matter. He was so engrossed in his conversing with the Princess that he didn't even bother to haggle for higher prices. He was simply enjoying every second of this 'meeting...'_

_After about ten minutes, the trading ended. The two said goodbye charmingly and cheerfully, waved, and Bombino was on his way waddling off, examining the complexion of the palace for one final, dignified time, and exiting through the doors. He'd then walk to the edge of the yard, and turn back, staring at the Castle in its grandeur. Remissing about the encounter he'd just went through. Thinking deeply, before turning back, and starting to walk off._

_**"Farewell, Sarasaland..."**_


End file.
